Blog

How to Get Your Loved One Into Treatment

Written by St. Christopher's

Last week, Brandy Kingman had the pleasure of bringing back Ken Seeley from A&E’s hit show Intervention to participate in a Facebook Live video. In this engaging episode, Ken not only discusses the intervention process but also provides tips to assist families on how to get their loved ones into addiction treatment.

B:In your experience, what have been the repercussions families face after the intervention?

K: One crucial element we try and establish with families post intervention is trust. Often times the families express having tried every alternative with no success. When the families fully participate in the process, the results have been phenomenal. There are, however, other families who resist the process and believe they can still convince someone only with love. If love was the universal solution, we ultimately wouldn’t have this disease. What cures the condition is good treatment. Good treatment provides the tools to set boundaries which include real-life consequences. Keeping the consequences front and center for a long time is absolutely imperative. However, it’s not all about recognizing the consequences, it’s about taking notice of their hopes and dreams. If those two attributes are not expressed thoroughly, our success rate diminishes.

B: Can a family do an intervention without an expert?

K: Yes, there are plenty of books and wellness centers out there that can help provide insight and guidance. These resources, however, should not be looked at to educate the family on addiction but to help them understand that it’s a learning curve from both sides. There are treatment centers who are willing to work with families and their loved ones even if they’re unable to provide payment.

B: What are your thoughts on hitting rock bottom or reaching the “bottom line”?

K: Often times I see family members lose sight of who should actually receive the intervention. A mother who lets her 28-year addict old son live at home and have all expenses paid for is basically nursing him to death. It is important to understand as a family member helping a loved one with an addiction, both parties are going to have to change. It’s not just cutting off your loved one entirely and waiting for them to come back to you, it’s about expressing those consequences with the help of treatment centers or other resources that can grant your loved one access to a safe place for them to go. Generally, we see that the family’s strategy isn’t working, so we provide with them with the necessary tools to make sure are granted the solutions that they want.

B:What are some of the things you see families do to sabotage interventions?

K: The first thing that comes to mind is seeing the family not be on the same page. If there is one person in the family who acts as an enabler and refuses to sacrifice certain things, the addict knows they’re vulnerable and can manipulate him or her to get what they want. The main objective is to get that family member who is enabling to understand that making changes in their lives will ultimately leave an impact of change for their loved one’s life.